Rachael Hamilton MSP is the Scottish Conservatives spokesperson on rural affairs and she was at the Royal Highland Show to launch the party’s rural manifesto.
Ms Hamilton said The Scottish Government have “repeatedly let Scotland’s farmers, crofters and agriculture sector down” during their 17 years in office and that only the Scottish Conservatives are on their side.
Other measures to support farmers in the rural manifesto include:
- Supporting an increase of the UK-wide farming budget by £1 billion over the course of the next Parliament
- Giving Scottish farmers the green light to use game-changing gene editing technology
- Introducing a Young Person’s Agri-Enterprise Fund to support new entrants into the sector
- Tackle rural crime with a Rural Theft Bill
The rural manifesto also pledges to deliver a ‘Rural Charter’ to enshrine in law the rights of rural and coastal communities when it comes to policy making.
The Scottish Conservatives would also reverse the planned closure of Visitor Information Centres across the country, while they would support rural healthcare services through a new funding formula that considers the issues they face.
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